merciful-evans Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 My review of ‘What is a Wommet’ the Mick Abrahams Autobiography I just finished reading this book. It took me 3 days. It was written in 2008 and I knew nothing about it until last week. It seems to be out of print, but there is a kindle edition. I found a used hardback version. I had to read this as Mick was an early and lasting influence on me as a player. Things I didn’t know about Mick: 1/ He was adopted as an infant. Abrahams was not his birth name. 2/ He’s a freemason 3/ He’s a Christian (a proper one, not a cultural one). 4/ He went to several public schools (and kicked out of them). I thought he had humbler beginnings. The book is what I hoped it would be. It’s largely stories. Funny, sad and revelatory. He explains/excuses this by saying ‘the music speaks for itself’. It’s clearly him, writing as he speaks. Its also clear that it has not been proof read, but that makes it more personal somehow. It was crazy how he parted from Jethro Tull and even more bizarre how he parted from Blodwyn Pig. You couldn’t make it up ! There are some wonderful anecdotes. Many very funny. Others less so, probably you ‘had to be there’ or more likely had to be inebriated and/or stoned. Some stories I heard before. Such as he, John Bonham and Stan Webb trussing up Chrysalis Agency Manager Doug Darcy with gaffer tape and depositing him in the middle of a roundabout. They left his head was but no-one answered his calls for help. The recording of ‘Variations on Nainos’ (Getting to This album) ends with a strange bubbling vocal effect. Mick reveals the low tech method was him singing with his head in a bucket of water. The mic was suspended overhead. He quit music in 1975 and consigned his SG Special to the loft and became a window cleaner. People in the area knew who he was and couldn’t understand this when they saw him working. Was it a publicity stunt? Is it a joke of some sort? Mick says it was refreshing work and therapeutic after working with the music biz. He returned to music before very long and later still became a Life Assurance Salesman. He earned more money at this than he did as a musician. He gave it up to fully return to music again and quitting that job put him into bankruptcy. He moved his family into a smaller house and got on with it. It ends with personal stuff about family; and even finding a half sister in the US. It was well worth getting to these parts as it was genuinely touching. This has prompted me to go back to some of the music. I have 7 album of BP and the MA Band. There is one missing. The aforementioned ‘Getting to This’. I’m going to rectify this now. ME 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 (edited) I loved Blodwyn Pig and saw them about 12 times - including Pig mk II with the late Peter Banks (right after he got chucked out of Yes), and the 90s reunion which was painfully loud. An excellent guitar player - have been listening to the LPs recently (thanks again!) I shall look out for the book. Edited July 22, 2023 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 22, 2023 Author Share Posted July 22, 2023 I wasn't lucky enough to see BP, but I did see the MA Band shortly after the eponymous first album - sometimes called 'A Musical Evening with...' Terrific show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 Good recommendation. I love rock bios and read a few every year so I'll check this one out. Another really good one - assuming you like Humble Pie - is "The Best Seat in the House" in which Jerry Shirley tells wonderfully detailed stories about his years as Humble Pie drummer. I recently read Bill Bruford's heady autobiography as well. Highly recommended if you are a fan of his drumming. Oh... Neil Peart's writing is great too. Wow.... just realized they are all drummers and I'm completely inept at drums. Weird.... anyway... .enjoy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 Scotty Stoneman quit the music biz to try and sober up. John Deacon pretty much quit after Freddie died. Ya gotta wonder how many great musicians become disillusioned with the business and move on and we never knew them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 12 hours ago, surfpup said: Good recommendation. I love rock bios and read a few every year so I'll check this one out. Another really good one - assuming you like Humble Pie - is "The Best Seat in the House" in which Jerry Shirley tells wonderfully detailed stories about his years as Humble Pie drummer. I recently read Bill Bruford's heady autobiography as well. Highly recommended if you are a fan of his drumming. Oh... Neil Peart's writing is great too. Wow.... just realized they are all drummers and I'm completely inept at drums. Weird.... anyway... .enjoy! I'll check out the Bill Bruford one for sure. Maybe give the Jerry Shirley one a look too. Drummers are great (um... there are no drummers on here, right?). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvirJiffy Posted December 14, 2023 Share Posted December 14, 2023 (edited) On 7/21/2023 at 6:25 PM, merciful-evans said: My review of ‘What is a Wommet’ the Mick Abrahams Autobiography I just finished reading this book. It took me 3 days. It was written in 2008 and I knew nothing about it until last week. It seems to be out of print, but there is a kindle edition. I found a used hardback version. I had to read this as Mick was an early and lasting influence on me as a player. Things I didn’t know about Mick: 1/ He was adopted as an infant. Abrahams was not his birth name. 2/ He’s a freemason 3/ He’s a Christian (a proper one, not a cultural one). 4/ He went to several public schools (and kicked out of them). I thought he had humbler beginnings. The book is what I hoped it would be. It’s largely stories. Funny, sad and revelatory. He explains/excuses this by saying ‘the music speaks for itself’. It’s clearly him, writing as he speaks. Its also clear that it has not been proof read, but that makes it more personal somehow. It was crazy how he parted from Jethro Tull and even more bizarre how he parted from Blodwyn Pig. You couldn’t make it up ! There are some wonderful anecdotes. Many very funny. Others less so, probably you ‘had to be there’ or more likely had to be inebriated and/or stoned. Some stories I heard before. Such as he, John Bonham and Stan Webb trussing up Chrysalis Agency Manager Doug Darcy with gaffer tape and depositing him in the middle of a roundabout. They left his head was but no-one answered his calls for help. The recording of ‘Variations on Nainos’ (Getting to This album) ends with a strange bubbling vocal effect. Mick reveals the low tech method was him singing with his head in a bucket of water. The mic was suspended overhead. He quit music in 1975 and consigned his SG Special to the loft and became a window cleaner. People in the area knew who he was and couldn’t understand this when they saw him working. Was it a publicity stunt? Is it a joke of some sort? Mick says it was refreshing work and therapeutic after working with the music biz. He returned to music before very long and later still became a Life Assurance Salesman. He earned more money at this than he did as a musician. He gave it up to fully return to music again and quitting that job put him into bankruptcy. He moved his family into a smaller house and got on with it. It ends with personal stuff about family; and even finding a half sister in the US. It was well worth getting to these parts as it was genuinely touching. Describing his temporary "transitions" from music to working as a window cleaner and selling insurance adds depth and humanity. Episodes with music business colleagues, such as Jethro Tull and Pig Blodwyn, sound exciting. I read it myself but usually use a literature review dissertation, I found https://essays.edubirdie.com/literature-review-dissertation for this. It’s easier for me, I don’t like to describe my opinion for a long time. But you are a master at this. Your insight, including the wonderful anecdotal side, underlines the intrigue of the book. This has prompted me to go back to some of the music. I have 7 album of BP and the MA Band. There is one missing. The aforementioned ‘Getting to This’. I’m going to rectify this now. ME You have a good review. It is interesting to learn about his unexpected aspects, such as adoption and commitment to Freemasonry. Edited December 14, 2023 by AvirJiffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 Could be very intriguing to hear what he has to say about Ian. The young version, , , the middle and the contemporary still living Anderson. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.